Justice News

District Man Sentenced to 90-Month Prison Term For Assaulting Security Officer After Shoplifting Incident

Attack Took Place Outside Downtown Department Store

WASHINGTON – Deandre Britton, 27, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a 90-month prison term after earlier pleading guilty to stabbing a security officer after a shoplifting incident in downtown Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

Britton pled guilty in February 2016, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced on June 15, 2016, by the Honorable Anita Josey-Herring. Upon completion of his prison term, Britton will be placed on three years of supervised release.

According to the government’s evidence, on Aug. 11, 2015, at approximately 3:10 p.m., Britton entered the Macy’s Department store at Metro Center, in the 1200 block of G Street NW. He placed assorted items of clothing into a bag and walked out without paying. Two security officers tried to stop Britton and retrieve the stolen items. Without provocation, he stabbed one of them in the upper arm and left wrist several times. The stabbing caused nerve damage to the security officer’s arm. Britton fled, and police broadcast a look-out for him. He was arrested later that day after Metro Transit Police stopped him at Union Station.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metro Transit Police Department and the Metropolitan Police Department. He also expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Nurudeen Elias, who investigated and prosecuted the case.